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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28754841">Built-In Buddy</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Luckyrabbit1001/pseuds/Luckyrabbit1001'>Luckyrabbit1001</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Brass and Sass (Webtoon)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Other</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 04:14:25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,472</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28754841</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Luckyrabbit1001/pseuds/Luckyrabbit1001</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Conversation between Dana and Cam after episode 65. Full disclosure, I haven't fast-passed so this may not be canon-compliant. </p>
<p>This webtoon is made by Antlerella, who owns all these characters and the story. Her webtoon is beautiful and awesome and definitely worth the read!</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Camilla Naiman/Rowan Singh (Brass and Sass), Camilla Naiman/Victor Starkovich (Brass and Sass)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Built-In Buddy</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The house was dark when Camilla entered, setting her bags carefully down next to the door so that the thud would not wake her grandparents or Dana.</p>
<p>Camilla let out a long breath as she stood in the entryway. She placed her hat and mittens on the shelf next to the door.</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <em>The screeching of the bus brakes startled Cam. The image of her underwater sundae shop vanished as she started to wake up. She stretched, her back cracking as she yawned.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>It was so comfy though. The heavy warmth on her back lured her back to sleep as she snuggled deeper into the cozy corner of her bed. </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>The strangled groan woke her right up though. </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Cam’s head snapped up. Victor was doing an impressive job of imitating a tomato, with mute horror on his face as he aggressively rubbed the back of his head. With the hand that been previously resting on Camilla. On her back. As she snuggled into him. ON HIS LAP.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Cam could feel her cheeks starting to join Victor’s in the tomato-cosplay-brigade. </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“Eh….I thought you could use the sleep.” Victor mumbled. “You know, I don’t want you to feel too groggy at school tomorrow”. He finished lamely. </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“Ya….no….thanks for that.” Camilla was going to issue a formal complaint to the “replies and comebacks” quadrant of her brain. Someone there was not keeping the work up to par. Her eyes quickly darted to where Beth and Rowan were sitting. Rowan was still asleep against the window and Beth hadn’t looked up from her playlist. Her blush increased. </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>She hadn’t been doing anything wrong. She had just needed the sleep after the night she had had. Her thoughts had seemed to follow a track, continuously revolving back to Rowan. And, if she was being completely honest, back to Victor. </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>She still couldn’t reconcile the way that she had felt when he played at the New Year’s party. Like someone had plucked her heart out of her chest and squeezed hard. Like she was somehow endlessly overflowing and empty at the same time. </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Cam grinned weakly up at Victor. “It’s okay. My tutor is just looking out for me, right?”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Victor’s face had adopted a weird pasted-on grin. It was like the corners of his mouth has been pinned to resemble a grin that really didn’t want to be there. The perma-grin slipped when Cam said that. </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“Yea,” He echoed softly. He had found something interesting to look at in his crumbled hands. Cam did her best to not stare at his long, folded fingers. “After all, you are my student.”</em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“How long have you been standing there?” Dana’s voice snapped Cam out of her reverie. Cam smiled. Her sister clearly hadn’t been sleeping after all. A mud mask dried on her face as she waved her nails around to dry them.</p>
<p>Dana ushered Cam into the kitchen, shooing her to take off her jacket and sit at the kitchen counter stool. Her sister hummed happily as she heated up some soup for Cam. A bowl of egg noodle with broth landed in front of Cam.</p>
<p>Cam smiled. Dana did a good job of maintaining an aloof persona around most people, but Cam knew a happy Dana was someone who liked to cook. When they were younger, Dana had often watched Cam while their parents and grandparents were out. They used to experiment with their dinners, figuring out the best way to make stretch a pack of hot dogs, handful of green onions and shallots, and an old ramen packet into a gourmet meal. Their parents had come home more than once to a giggling Cam covered in flour as Dana pulled scones out of the oven.</p>
<p>It seemed like happy Dana was here for the night.</p>
<p>Cam leaned forward and sighed as she laced her fingers around the hot bowl of soup. Leaving the bus had been awkward and stiff, but the confusion she had felt still hadn’t left her. She was going on a date with Rowan. She had decided to explore her relationship further. With Rowan. Victor just saw her as a student and someone who could either be a liability or asset to the band.</p>
<p>Plus, there was the issue of her new friendship with Beth. Cam had been sincere when she said that she wanted to be friends with Beth over any potential relationship with Victor. Beth was cool, dressed fabulously, and Cam had firm plans to make sure that she sat at their table at lunch on Monday. But Victor….</p>
<p>Dana noticed Cam’s tense breath and paused her kitchen ministrations. The baguette she had been cutting for Cam’s soup was left uncut. Dana had the longest acrylics of anyone that Cam knew, but her sister topped the family in onion-chopping speed. Her brother had once been clipped in the eye when Dana had been cooking on an angry day and had remarked that she could be weaponized if the family ever chose.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Is it Rowan?” Cam’s head snapped up at her sister’s words.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I know that it’s none of my business, and to be honest, I don’t really want to know, but if he hurt you….” The words seemed to rush out of Dana. Her tone was flat and emotionless, but her eyes were bright and angry. Her fingers curled under her hands, braced on the kitchen counter like she was ready to pounce on someone.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“No, no!” Cam interjected. “If anything it’s-, it’s me.” Cam choked the words out.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“What could you have done?” Dana asked, considerably more relaxed.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Rowan asked me on a date, and I said yes.” The words came out as a whisper that Dana had to move closer for.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Oh!” Dana paused. She hesitated, like she was trying to choose her words delicately. “And that’s bad? Or good? I thought that you maybe liked him.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I do!” Cam rushed to say. She looked down again. Why did she feel like she was about to cry? “Or, I think I do, but….”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Dana was waiting patiently. Cam suddenly felt a wash of gratitude for her sister and her family. She forged ahead.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I’ve never had a boyfriend.” The words felt like they were being pulled out of Cam. “And Rowan is a lot more experienced, and popular, and more sure of his feelings, and has probably had a girlfriend, and what if I mess this up, and I’m just not really sure about this, AND-”.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“First of all,” Dana gently interjected. Her voice carried softly in the warm-lit kitchen. “This is just a first date. Not a life-sentence, or even a one-month deal. You never have to go on a second one if you don’t want to. And if there’s an issue with that, I can back you up.” Her tone was friendly, but Cam heard the very-real promise behind it.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Second of all,” She paused and looked down at her hands. Dana looked almost…shy? “Second of all, someone’s perceived experience or inexperience doesn’t necessarily mean that they know what they are doing in a relationship. You can have been in a thousand relationships and still…..not be able to make it work sometime.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Cam looked up at Dana. She had looked happy when Cam had gotten back from band camp, but now she looked strained. Her eyes were slightly puffy and her normally-impeccable hair was slipping out of her night cap. Cam slipped her hands into Dana’s.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“What I mean to say,” Dana forged on. “is that relationships are hard regardless of your experience. You don’t get a free pass just because you’ve dated people before. It’s about your relationship and communication with a specific person, not a scoreboard from your past.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>And regardless of the fact that this is your first relationship, you still get to decide what happens next. If you don’t want to be in this relationship, you can say no to him. If you go on three dates and you realized this isn’t for you, you can stop immediately.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Cam’s throat felt impossibly tight as she nodded up at Dana. The tension she had felt, throughout the past couple days and ever since Rowan had talked to her at the campfire, lessened.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Dana walked around the kitchen counter and sat next to Cam. In their small kitchen, crowded around their bowls of warm soup, Cam put her head on Dana’s shoulder and took a deep breath. Everything was going to be fine.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Thanks Dana”. She said softly.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Dana shifted her shoulder, so Cam’s head fell. She snorted, hopped off the stool, and moved to start finishing the dishes. “Think nothing of it, bun. I gotta make sure that you’re upholding the family name”.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>She paused and her eyes softened as she looked at Cam. “After all, you’re my built-in buddy.”</p>
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